Engine driven welding machines include a gas powered engine to run a generator which supplies power to the welding electrode. Consequently, the fuel tank for the gas powered engine must be periodically refilled with fuel. Years ago, the gas tank opening for the engine welder was located at or near the base of the engine welding machine. This position of the gas tank opening of the welder had several disadvantages, one which was that an operator was required to bend down to the ground to open, fill and then reseal the gas tank. This problem was solved by the RANGER 8 and 9 sold by The Lincoln Electric Company. The RANGER 8 and 9 included a cut out in the top cover of the engine welder to allow a filler tube to project therethrough. The filler tube extended to the fuel tank located in the base of the engine welder. As a result, an operator could fill the fuel tank without having to bend down to the ground.
Another disadvantage of prior engine welder fuel assemblies was that the close proximity of the gas tank opening to the top of the gas tank provided little, if any, warning to the operator during fueling that the gas tank was approaching a full condition. This problem was also solved by the RANGER 8 and 9. The fuel tank of the RANGER 8 and 9 was located at the base of the engine welder housing and the filler tube opening was located above the top cover of the engine welder housing. As a result, the longer filler tube provided additional warning time to an operator during the filling of the fuel tank. In addition, the filler tube volume was larger volume near the fuel tank than at the filler tube opening. This variable volume of the filler tube also provided the operator additional warning that the fuel tank was approaching a full condition.
Prior engine welders had the further disadvantage of allowing fuel that spilled on the welder during fueling to flow all over the top and/or side surface of the engine welder housing. Such fuel spillage could result in the defacing of the engine welder housing and/or damage to the internal components of the engine welder. Once again this problem was overcome by the RANGER 8 and 9. The RANGER 8 and 9 incorporated the use of a grommet prevented fuel from leaking into the interior of the engine welder housing. The grommet was also designed to controllably direct any spilled fuel off to the side of the engine welder housing.
Although the fuel assembly design of the RANGER 8 and 9 has been commercially successful, monitoring of the fuel level in the fuel tank during operation of the engine welder and during the filling of the fuel tank remained as issues for the engine welder. In order to address these issues, The Lincoln Electric Company developed a new fuel tank assembly which incorporated the use of a fuel gauge. This fuel tank assembly is disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,263,926 and 6,296,027, which are incorporated herein by reference. The fuel gauge is positioned adjacent to the filler tube and allows an operator to monitor the fuel level in the fuel tank during the filling of the fuel tank and during the operation of the engine welder. As a result, the operator is better able to determine when refueling is required and when fueling can be terminated during a refueling procedure. A grommet was again used to seal the cut out region about the filler tube. A portion of the top and adjacent side of the engine welder is cut out and the grommet is positioned in the cut-out region to reseal the top and side of the engine welder. The opening of the filler tube extends through the bottom of the grommet. The cavity of the grommet directed spilled fuel during the fueling procedure to one side of the engine welder. The grommet, like all grommets, was designed to maintain a seal between the filler tube and the grommet during the operation of the engine welder. The grommet also allowed for easy removal and cleaning during the periodic servicing of the engine welder.
Although the fueling assembly disclosed in Assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,263,926 and 6,296,027 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/099,677 filed Mar. 14, 2002 addressed many of the past problems associated with the fueling of engine welders, there remains a need for a fuel assembly for an engine welder simplifies the fuel process, enables an operator to easily and conveniently refuel a tank and monitor the fueling progress, and enables an operator to easily and conveniently monitor fuel level in the fuel tank and refuel the tank in a variety of environments.